


Flying Colors

by doomhamster



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: weaponizing gossip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 17:44:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17585408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doomhamster/pseuds/doomhamster
Summary: FollowsCertainties.In warning off the piranhas, be careful that you do not attract the shark...





	Flying Colors

The gathering hall of Darth Angral’s estate swirled with life and, if not precisely color, at least more glamorous variations on the usual theme of red, grey and black. Malgus stood out like a shyrack among songbirds, and normally he would have resented the fact, assuming events had conspired to force his presence at all. Tonight, however, he was grimly pleased to hover in his chosen corner, nursing a glass of something sparkling that the server had nervously assured him was non-alcoholic, and taking in the social dance going on around him.

After the initial surprise at his presence – because, of course, the elaborately inked and folded invitation delivered to him earlier in the week had only been intended to rub in the fact that people were going to have questionable fun without him – the crowd had dedicated itself to ignoring him. A brave few, mostly allies from his early campaigns like Darth Vicera or Lord Praven, had come over to offer greetings, but the vast majority pretended he was part of the furniture.

Angral was one of them, conspicuously circulating among his guests, never allowing himself to glance in Malgus’ direction, though the Force fairly hummed with Angral’s awareness of his presence. As a display of social dominance, it wasn’t even in the vicinity of subtle, which was no doubt intentional; the entire point was for Malgus to know he was being snubbed, and Angral never had credited him with much intelligence.

Speaking of people who were wont to underestimate him, Adraas was being just as unsubtle about staying within Malgus’ field of view, no matter how ridiculous a dance he was forced to do in order to ensure that Malgus saw him conversing with various people he no doubt thought were important, and even one or two who actually were. Not that Malgus would have wished to miss the latter; he was going to treasure the memory of Darth Vowrawn – the only Dark Councillor besides Angral to grace the event with his presence – archly informing Adraas that he’d come expecting dreary company but hoping for drinkable wine.

All told, though, he felt a certain relief when Angral finally deigned to wander his way, his face painted in a mask of false surprise. “Malgus! Such a pleasure to see you here, old friend.”

“Darth Angral.” Malgus inclined his head to a precisely calculated degree – specifically, calculated to still leave Angral forced to look up in order to meet his gaze.

“But what brings you? You so rarely attend these little gatherings. Is there something you wished to discuss?” Angral drew the words out, inviting. Expecting, as Malgus had known he would, some attempt to mend fences, to reclaim some part of the recognition he deserved, as though it was Angral’s to hand out.

“Indeed.” He wasn’t a good enough actor to keep the scowl off his face, or the tension out of his voice, but he didn’t need to. “The advice you gave me on Coruscant has been much on my mind, lately.”

Angral nodded, gestured for him to go on, with a grave, faintly concerned expression that might possibly have fooled a blind Jedi.

“As much as it pains me to admit it,” which it did, “you were correct. Keeping a woman like Eleena as a concubine is… unbecoming of a Sith of my station.”

By now, a number of people were listening in, and Angral’s smugness was tangible, both at the confession, and at the chance to so publicly reject what he no doubt thought would come next. Malgus ground his teeth and reminded himself that gutting his former superior right here and now would be a bad idea for a great many reasons – not least the fact that he’d been counting on exactly this, on Angral’s willingness to believe that Malgus would throw his lover aside for a chance to crawl back into his good graces. Instead, he looked into Angral’s face as the other man visibly savored the silence, and waited for the exact moment Angral drew breath to speak.

“I regret that I wasn’t able to invite you and Lord Adraas to the wedding.”

Angral stared. Out of the corner of his eye, Malgus saw Adraas crumble into a coughing fit, spraying red droplets over the robes of the Darth opposite him. Wine, sadly, not blood, but it was a pleasing sight nonetheless.

“Eleena wanted a private ceremony. Overriding her wishes seemed like an… inauspicious… way to begin our marriage.”

Angral stared. Someone made a choking noise, not outrage but the smothered beginnings of laughter.

“As a married man yourself, I’m sure you understand.”

Angral stared. Malgus couldn’t see Darth Vowrawn from where he was standing, not without breaking eye contact, but he knew the second the man caught on. Vowrawn, out of all the people in this room, had the power and the vicious sense of humor not to restrain himself from laughing.

“And on that note, I believe I had better take my leave. I’m about to be late for dinner.”

Angral had regained his breath at last, and it seemed shock hadn’t wholly kept him from parsing Malgus’ words, or the reasons behind them. His voice was pure venom, and low enough to keep his response between the two of them… or at least, it would have been, had the room not been full of Force-users who were all shamelessly hanging on their every word. “You will suffer for this, Malgus.”

“Not alone.” From the impotent fury in Angral’s eyes, he’d caught the double meaning of that as well – the true meaning, in fact, behind this entire spectacle. So had others; the whispers were spreading, and doubtless would continue to do so. And with each ripple on the fetid pond of gossip, more people would know the risk they’d run in harming Eleena. Even the Council would not interfere with a Sith’s right to avenge family.

Malgus smirked, knowing Angral would recognize the expression behind his mask even if others did not, and turned on his heel. He could feel the heat of anger against his back as he walked away from the estate, and he basked in it.


End file.
